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::R5893 : page 141::

YOUR BRETHREN THAT HATED YOU

“Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for My name’s sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified; but He shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.”—Isaiah 66:5.

HOW beautifully reasonable is the Message of God’s Word! Many of the followers of Jesus, young in faith and possessed of but a small measure of the Holy Spirit, would be inclined to threaten their enemies with dire vengeance from God, even as the Apostles James and John at first desired to call down fire from Heaven upon the Samaritan city because the people had refused to sell them bread for the use of Jesus and His disciples. Where in the Bible do we find one word of threatening in respect to those who persecuted Jesus unto death, or those who have persecuted His followers? The simple statement is, “They shall be ashamed.” The Lord’s declaration through Daniel’s prophecy is, “Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,” some to shine as the brightness of the firmament—the saintly, the Church of glory—others to be ashamed—to have shame and lasting contempt.—Daniel 12:2,3.

And even here our Common Version Bible oversteps the matter and declares, “Everlasting shame and contempt,” whereas the Hebrew text says merely “lasting shame and contempt.” The shame will last as long as the wrongdoer continues to be in his shameful condition of opposition to the Lord and to His Message. The contempt will last as long as the individual’s course shall be a contemptible one. But as soon as reformation sets in, the shame will begin to depart; and eventually there will be neither shame nor contempt to those who will manifest a proper appreciation of the character of our God and the principles of His Government, when under the instructions of the Kingdom they shall come to understand them.

So then, dear brethren, since the Messianic Kingdom will be administered by those who have suffered for the name of Christ, receive persecutions patiently, joyfully. As the Lord advised, “Rejoice and be exceeding glad.” Everything that we may suffer for the Lord’s sake, for the Truth’s sake, will, He assures us, eventually bring us an everlasting reward, if we are rightly exercised by it, if we become character copies of God’s dear Son.

The names of all who suffer for righteousness’ sake, we are assured, are written in Heaven; but we shall be glad to have a little memorandum on earth, too, from those who desire to send their names in to us. Make the record just as brief as possible, head it I.H.S., and crowd it down into a few words on a postcard, even though you enclose the postcard in an envelope. We want your address on one side and this brief review on the other side; and we will keep these cards on file.

In addition to telling us very briefly something about what the Truth has cost you, you may add one line about your family, and then a brief word respecting your talents, abilities and experience. Who knows but that we might be able to suggest something for you in future?

In addition to this card, we suggest that any brothers or sisters who have special literary talents as writers or as editors, and other special education, or such as are lawyers, doctors, or fluent preachers, send us a brief letter respecting their financial standing—accompanying the above mentioned card.

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— May 1, 1916 —